verb
plod
plod
verb
1
To walk slowly and heavily, with steady, tiring effort.
"She plodded up the hill with her heavy bags."
"He plodded home through the snow after his shift."
2
To keep working at something slowly and doggedly, especially something tedious.
"He plodded through the tax paperwork all weekend."
"She kept plodding away at her thesis, one page at a time."
noun
1
A slow, heavy way of walking or working.
"You could hear the plod of his boots on the stairs."
How to Use Plod
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo move or work slowly and steadily, usually because it is tiring or boring rather than because you are lazy.
Common mistake
In British slang "the plod" or "a plod" means a police officer — this is informal and unrelated to the verb meaning.
Common pairings
plod along
plod through
plod on
Word Forms
plodded past tense, plods plural, plods plural, plods singular
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Etymology
First recorded in Middle English, likely originally describing a heavy splash through mud or a puddle — the same idea survives in dialect words for mire.